We know good manners are important. Today I am going to tell you something about manners in different countries. I think you already know that people in different countries usually have different ways of doing things. Something that is rude in one country may be quite polite in another. For example, in Britain you mustn’t lift your bowl to your mouth when you are having liquid food. That is considered bad manners in Britain. But in Japan you needn’t worry about making a noise when you drink something. It shows that you are enjoying it. In Britain we try not to put our hands on the table at all during a meal. In Mexico, however, guests are expected to keep their hands on the table throughout a meal. In Arabic countries we must be careful with our hands. You see, in Arabic countries you mustn’t eat with your left hand. This is considered to be very impolite. So, what should you do if you visit a foreign country? Well, you needn’t worry. You can ask the native people there to help you and you can just watch carefully and try to do what they do.

Tea is a favorite drink of people all over the world. It has a long history with more than 4000 years. Today about 2,000,000,000 people around the world drink tea. Tea becomes a very important drink in everyday life.

According to (根据) the ways of making tea, tea is classified into white tea, green tea, black tea and yellow tea. Some people like drinking tea at home, but some like drinking in other places, such as (例如) tea houses and offices.

Tea culture (文化) is very different in many countries. In the USA, many people drink black tea, but in the south (南方) of the USA, people like to drink sweet tea. Sweet tea is cold black tea with some sugar in it. People also drink a lot of tea in England. Every afternoon, at about three or four o’clock, it’s “tea time”. Families or friends can talk with each other while having afternoon tea. English people like to drink their tea with milk in it.

Tea is not just a hot drink. Some people think it is very delicious. Some drink it because it makes them feel not so tired. And some think it helps lose weight (减肥). In China, people are good at using tea to make some delicious food, such as tea eggs and Dragon Well Tea Shrimp (龙井虾仁) .

When I was a student in the United States, I was invited to spend the weekend with an American family. When I arrived, everyone was very well-mannered. They gave me a tour of the house and then showed me to the guest room. But I was surprised that they did not give me anything to eat. I went to bed very hungry.

I was sure that my hosts did not mean to be rude, but I did not understand the way they acted. When I returned to school, I told the story to my classmate Steve.

“Didn’t they ask if you were hungry?” Steve said.

“Yes, but they still didn’t give me anything,” I answered.

“Well, when they asked you, what did you say?”

I said, “No, I’m fine.”

“Well, no wonder they didn’t give you anything!” Steve said.

“But I was just being polite” I insisted. “I thought they would give me something anyway.”

“Maybe that’s true in China, but not in America” Steve said “When Americans ask a question they expect a direct answer. If you say you’re not hungry, they’ll think you are not really hungry.”

It is a lesson I’ll never forget!